So I've been living in a small town in New York for the last year, with my partner Dustin, after living in Chicago for two years. Before that I lived in Madison, and will soon be moving to Michigan while Dustin goes back to school. In each place, I have met such fabulous people, and some of our most enjoyable get-togethers have revolved around food. I especially love potlucks, which allow each person to showcase what they most love to eat and cook. Last night, a bunch of friends came to our house for a potluck, and the variety of foods was amazing. Our friends from Spain brought salmorejo, a cold soup made with tomatoes and bread; another friend brought home-brewed beer that he crafted; another couple brought hot dogs from their hometown of Buffalo. The whole experience of a potluck, with all its sharing of food and conversation, always leaves me excited about life.

While I don't have any signature dishes that I'm known for making, I made one of Dustin and my favorite go-to dishes, that we use whenever we want a lot of food for not a lot of effort. This recipe for Chickpea Potato Curry is from the recipe blog Simply Recipes. It's easy to make and delicious, especially if you like the flavor of Indian food. For a spicier version, add more cayenne pepper (which is what I did last night, and consequently gave all the leftovers to a friend since I have such a low spice tolerance). Enjoy!

Chickpea Potato Curry Recipe

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups vegetable broth

two 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

one 14-ounce can stewed tomatoes with chiles [if you can't find these, buy stewed tomatoes and add half a 4-ounce can of diced green anaheim chiles]

6 baby Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 teaspoons minced ginger

1-2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup uncooked Jasmine or Basmati rice

Directions

In a large pot, combine the broth, chickpeas, tomatoes, potatoes, onion, butter, ginger, 1 teaspoon of salt, cumin, coriander, and cayenne. Stir to mix and nestle the potatoes into the liquid.

Set the pot, uncovered, over medium heat. Simmer vigorously for about 35 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Add more salt to taste.